| AVOID COMMON MISTAKES AND
SAVE TIME AND EFFORT |
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1. Missing Fonts
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| Missing fonts are the bane of printers and service bureaus. So many versions of the same typeface exist that printers can’t make font substitutions to fix type without risking a different look or causing the text to reflow. Always include the exact fonts used in your files.
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2. Messy Files
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Clean up your files before releasing them for output. Cluttered files not only confuse and frustrate service bureaus and printers, they compound the possibility of errors. Even an unused image (off to the side or on an unused layer) with no link can lead the printer to conclude something is missing.
Remove unnecessary artwork, delete unused colors, make sure that you have recorded spot colors and that the color names match exactly across all programs. An oversight such as not specifying whether a color is process or match causes delays by forcing the printer to call and ask. Either that, or the RIP software will decide automatically and put the color on its own plate, conceivably turning a four-color job into a five-color job.
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3. Missing and Unlinked Graphics
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| Your page layout document shows the image, but the actual file is missing. It could have become unlinked when saved in a folder that differs from its original location. With missing links, graphics on the page layout document will output in low-res or cannot be output at all. Make sure all links are up-to-date.
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4. No Hard Copy Proof
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A hard-copy printout lets printers see the final approved document, check for discrepancies and clarify how you intended the layouts to look. Make the printout at 100% of finished size if possible, or indicate what percentage of final size it represents. For digitally transmitted files, send a PDF with color mark-ups for reference.
Also, for multi-page jobs, include a mock-up to show folding and binding. One of the most common printing mistakes is backing up in the wrong direction or binding pages out of sequence.
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Sappi Fine Paper North America. "The Standard: Prepress, Preparing Files for Print". Boston:2005.
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5. Failure to Use Pre-Flight Software
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| If your software program has a preflight or “collect for output” feature, be sure to use it. The newer versions will help you collect all the fonts and images, search for missing items and avoid careless mistakes. They will also create a report for the printer. Be sure to double check that all files are there after you collect for output because sometimes the feature mistakes fonts.
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6. Don't Trap
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| The emphatic plea from printers and services bureaus is: Do not trap! Trapping – the creation of overlaps between adjoining colors to make sure they abut exactly on press – must be set to the printing method used, otherwise the traps may come out too wide or thin, leaving haloes or gaps between colors. Since the printer’s software cannot tell which traps are right and which are wrong when outputting files, they prefer to set the trap widths themselves.
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7. Incorrect Page Size Setting
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| Incorrectly specified page settings cannot be fixed by simply scaling up or down, so make sure your document size is your trim size. Leave decisions such as grind-off to your service bureau or printer.
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8. Inadequate Bleeds
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| Bleed photos and other graphics that extend to the edge of a page must be set up to overlap the trim margins by an 1/8th inch to avoid white along the edge.
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9. No Color Mark-Up
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| In addition to a hard-copy proof, supply a color mark-up so the printer can note where the color breaks, overprints and knock-outs are intended to go.
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10. Unmarked Revision
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| For revisions, send only the files that have changed and give them a new name. If new support files or fonts are used, include them – and supply new lasers with changes clearly marked.
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